Here is what Detrick found: the "death cross" – at least when it comes to gold – is a bit of a false indicator.

On average, gold has actually posted positive returns over 1-, 2-, 3-, and 6-month timeframes after hitting the "death cross."

The "golden cross" – a bullish trading signal generated when the 50-day moving average rises above the 200-day moving average – is actually a less successful predictor of positive gold returns, as the tables above show.